OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Medeola virginiana   FAMILY Liliaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Medeola virginiana   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Medeola virginiana

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)

Medeola virginiana

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-04-001:

Medeola virginiana   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Medeola virginiana

 

COMMON NAME:
Indian Cucumber-root


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

JK Marlow    jkm230322_1919

March    Oconee County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

JK Marlow    jkm230322_1920

March    Oconee County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

JK Marlow    jkm230322_1924

March    Oconee County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

JK Marlow    jkm0404t_31

April    Oconee County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

JK Marlow    jkm130420_463

April    Transylvania County    NC

Foothills Trail

Tapered, white, tuberlike, horizontal rhizomes, 3-8 x 1cm, per Flora of North America.

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmmvirginiana_chauga1

April    Oconee County    SC

Chau-Ram County Park

Leaves parallel-veined, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmmvirginiana_chauga3

April    Oconee County    SC

Chau-Ram County Park

Yellow-green flwrs w 6 recurved petal-like structures & 3 long brown stigmas, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmmvirginiana_chauga4

April    Oconee County    SC

Chau-Ram County Park

Flowering plants have a second whorl of 3 smaller leaves, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE leaves of Indian Cucumberroot, Starry Campion, Whorled Coreopsis and Loosestrife

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

JK Marlow    jkm0305c_04

May    Greenville County    SC

Jones Gap State Park

Vegetative plants have a single whorl of 5-11 leaves, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE Large and Small Whorled Pogonia and Indian Cucumber-root

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

Keith Bradley    kab_m_virginiana_8067

May    Burke County    NC

The sepals, petals, and stigmas of the flowers are recurved, per Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002).

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

JK Marlow    jkm140607_605

June    Jackson County    NC

Whiteside Mountain

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

Keith Bradley    kab_m_virginiana_0608

June    Burke County    NC

Pisgah National Forest: Grandfather Ranger District

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

Tim Spira    tpsmvirginiana_flwsfrts

June        

In fruit the pedicels are erect - the fruits above the top whorl, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

JK Marlow    jkm120830_171

August    Henderson County    NC

Holmes Educational Forest

When in fruit, the terminal whorl of leaves is usually red at the base, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Medeola virginiana, Indian Cucumber-root

JK Marlow    jkm080924_131

September    Haywood County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Medeola virginiana   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Medeola virginiana   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Medeola virginiana

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Medeola virginiana

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-04-001:
Medeola virginiana   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Medeola virginiana

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

921

Forb
Perennial

Habitat: Moist forests, usually with acidic soils, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common in Mountains & NC Piedmont (rare in GA Coastal Plain) (uncommon elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

LEAVES:
Simple
Whorled

FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Yellowish
Radially symmetrical
6 caducous tepals
6 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Black/Bluish-black
Berry

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME: